Surface Tension by Brent Runyon

Surface Tension by Brent Runyon

‘Surface Tension’ is a great coming of age novel. Luke is a teenage boy, and it is told from his point of view. This story is broken down into four parts. The four parts represent his life through four summers and you can really see how much he has grown, mentally and emotionally. He also overcomes many problems and issues.

In the first part of the story, Luke is thirteen years old. In this part of the novel, Luke is excited for his future and he is not worried about too many things. He’s looking forward to going to his cottage with his father and mother just as he has been doing since his childhood.

In the second part of the story, Luke is fourteen years old. During this part of Luke’s life, he’s the cool kid and is making new friends. You can see how much he grows up during this part as his opinions change and the new people in his life influence his decisions.

When he turns fifteen, he goes to his cottage with his best friend, Steve. During this part of the novel, Luke is very angry with himself and others. The smallest thing can set him off. I can personally relate to this part, because I’m in this age range and can understand why he gets mad so easily. It’s usually because of so many things going on and you’re trying to figure out what you want to do or be.

The last part is where Luke is sixteen years old and this is the part in his life where he falls in love. There are lots of advantages and disadvantages for this stage in his life. He goes through feelings such as being on top of the world and then being heartbroken.

This novel is really easy to relate to if you’re going through your teenage years and many things that Luke goes through, may be similar to those things you’re going through. I’d recommend this book to people who fall between the age ranges of thirteen to eighteen. 

Wounded by Eric Walters

Wounded by Eric Walters

Wounded is a very emotional book. In this novel, Marcus's father is serving in the Army and is currently stationed in Afghanistan. Marcus and his sister are counting down the days for which his dad is to return. Little does he know that when his dad does return, things will not be the same.

Other people, whose family members aren't in the war, just don't seem to understand the heartache and struggle for those families who do have family at war. Marcus is a very conflicted individual and has too much on his mind at such a young age.

This story clearly describes what life is like when you have someone close to you at war and the emotional struggles and issues when they return. When one comes home from war, everything is not perfect and is not just as how it was before they left. Everything changes and nothing is the same.

When his father comes back, what struggles and problems does he face? Will his father hurt their family, physically and emotionally? Is this the father that Marcus and his family were waiting for?

Shaken by Eric Walters

Shaken by Eric Walters

I've always enjoyed reading Eric Walters' books. They have been a pleasure to read because they're so detailed and descriptive! I really like the fact that most of them are based on a real life event. For example, Shaken, is a take on the devastating earthquake in Haiti, which was of magnitude 7.0 on the Richter scale!

Sixteen year old Canadian, Joshua Evans, has been very conflicted since his mothers death. His mother was such a kind and loving person whom always put everyone else first. Joshua loved her very much. When she died, things took a turn for the worse.

Joshua was always on the edge with faith, he sometimes believed there was a God and other times he didn't. His dad was a Preacher, or Pastor as many called him so Joshua thought he would disappoint his dad if he didn't believe in the religion his dad preached. There were many reasons as to why Joshua had considered there wasn't a God. The main reason was that, if there was a God, why did He take Joshua's mother, who had never caused harm to anyone. Why didn't God take someone else? When his mom fell sick, Joshua's whole family prayed and prayed to God that she would get better, but in the end she didn't. Joshua always wondered, no matter how much we pray, God will not listen to us, as there are so many other people he needs to listen to as well.

Joshua, his sister and father are part of a Church group and they have a mission to go to Haiti and help build a shelter for orphans to live in. These orphans have lost their parents due to disease, violence or natural causes. Joshua was reluctant because of the stories he had heard about Haiti, but more importantly he didn't want to leave home, where he was comfortable but not happy.

When they get to Haiti, Joshua is surprised at the living conditions that these orphans live in. He can't believe how happy they are even though they have neither parents or family. Still, in all this sadness, he makes a new Haitian friend named Phillipe and Phillipe teaches and tell Joshua all the things he has wanted to know about Haiti.

Joshua seems to be settling in well and the building of the shelter for the orphans seems to be going as planned, until disaster strikes.

What will Joshua do? Can him, his father and sister return home to Canada safely? Or will they be in danger? What heroic acts does Joshua preform? How can he communicate with people who don't speak English? Will he survive?

Shooting Kabul by N. H. Senzai

Shooting Kabul by N. H. Senzai

This book was a true page-turner. Much like all the books I read, once I start reading it, I couldn't stop. 'Shooting Kabul' was a great story about perseverance and hope and it really gets you thinking about all the great things and people you have in life, and how you should be thankful for having and knowing them everyday.

I'm not going to go into depth about this book, because I seriously recommend it to everyone and don't want to give away too much.

The protagonist in this story is Fadi and him and his family have been through a lot. They move to California, which is thousands of miles away from their home in Kabul, Afghanistan. He never thought he'd be starting middle school in California, out of all places but he's starting without his younger sister, who is missing back home. 

You see, Fadi and his family were trying to escape was-torn Afghanistan, but they never dreamed of leaving without a family member. Fadi knows that trying to find his sister in Kabul would be his worst nightmare because of the war and danger, but he has hope.

While in California, a photography competition takes place and the prize is a trip to India! He is thrilled and excited for this event because he knows he will be that much closer to finding his beloved sister and mending his family. 

Will he win the photography competition? Does he have a chance at finally finding his sister, or is it too late?

Seven Minutes in Heaven by Sara Shepard

Seven Minutes in Heaven by Sara Shepard

Seven Minutes in Heaven, by Sara Shepard, the author of #1 New York Times Bestseller 'Pretty Little Liars', was a cliffhanger till the end! Once I picked up the book, I couldn't leave it till I'd read a couple of chapters. This book is the last book (book number six) of the series 'The Lying Game'. 

Emma is always on the verge of spilling out the biggest secret she could ever keep. Her identity. She's been lying her way through Sutton's friends, family and enemies. They all believe that she is Sutton but two individuals are sure that something is off about her. In this case, the truth does hurt. She cannot spill her secret without hurting all those around her, either emotionally or mentally. Along the way, we see Emma grow more attached to Sutton and she is definitely not going to give up on finding out who killed her twin. Another sudden death turns Emma's world upside down and she is left scrambling for answers. 

It's always those who we least expect it to be. While reading this amazing series, I would have never thought that this one individual killed Sutton. Not once did I ever even think this person did it. But they did it and I was so shocked at the end, I'm sure you will be too when you read this novel.

Sara Shepard does an amazing job jumping from character to character, making you believe that they did it, but then in the end they always have an alibi. But you wouldn't know if they had an alibi or not until you get down to reading the book. 

In conclusion, this book is a real teaser but it's all worth it in the end when you find out who did it and all the pieces suddenly fit in place.

Will Sutton's family and friends accept Emma once they find out the truth?